Will The X-Men Be In The Marvels?

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Ms. Marvel episode 6.

Ms. Marvel episode 6 just gave the MCU’s Earth-616 its first official mutant with Kamala Khan, leading to the question of whether the X-Men will appear in Kamala’s next journey, The Marvels. Since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, many fans have been eager to see how Marvel Studios will incorporate the mutants and the X-Men into the already-sprawling MCU. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hinted at this, with Patrick Stewart’s Professor X appearing as a multiversal variant, although his appearance was short-lived.

However, with Ms. Marvel confirming that Kamala herself is a mutant, Marvel Studios now has ample opportunity to include other, more iconic members of the X-Men and mutants into the MCU and their future properties. AS there was originally much speculation around Ms. Marvel potentially confirming the character’s Inhuman status, many are naturally surprised at her mutant reveal. This reveal could very well lead into The Marvels to further explore mutants given the appearance of Kamala in that film in 2023.

As of yet, there have been 13 projects released in Phase 4 of the MCU including feature-length movies and the MCU Disney+ shows. With plenty still to come in the next year, Phase 4 could grow even larger with the introduction of mutants. Given the confirmed link between Kamala, the first MCU mutant, and Carol Danvers, it would make sense for The Marvels to be the property to begin setting up the MCU’s fully-fledged X-Men and introduce mutants to the MCU in a major way.

Ms. Marvel Makes The Marvel’s X-Men Story Much More Likely

As with Doctor Strange 2’s many cameos, Marvel would need to focus the film on the titular trio of The Marvels, even if the film is now more likely include mutants after the Ms. Marvel reveal. The huge reveal in Ms. Marvel episode 6 now means that foundations can be set in typical MCU fashion by having some sort of mutant-based story in The Marvels. After the revelation that Kamala herself is a mutant, and the bracelet unlocked her abilities, it would be a missed opportunity for The Marvels not to focus on this. Also, with the post-credits scene of Ms. Marvel directly linking Kamala and Captain Marvel, it is safe to assume the story will feature Kamala’s mutant origins and the X-Gene’s potential link to the cosmic side of the MCU.

If that is the case, other potential MCU mutants and X-Men could be explored in The Marvels. Through further exploration of the mutant gene and what it means within the MCU, other established characters confirmed for the film allow further room for The Marvels to explore the MCU’s mutants. Teyonah Parris’ is set to reprise her role as Monica Rambeau in The Marvels. It could be revealed that Monica is also a mutant, as Wanda’s hex originally gave her superhuman abilities and was said to have altered her genetic structure. If this is the case, alongside Kamala’s mutation, The Marvels is the logical next step to further explore the MCU’s mutants through two of its titular heroes.

Despite Ms. Marvel making it more likely for the X-Men to be in The Marvels, it would be a mistake to introduce a fully-formed X-Men team in the film. To introduce a full team including X-Men characters such as Wolverine, Professor X, Cyclops, and so on, wouldn’t make sense within the MCU timeline as the team has not been established previously. While it could be done through the multiverse, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ inclusion of the Illuminati shows this could be a mistake. However, it remains the case that The Marvels could begin setting up some of the more famous X-Men characters, or some lesser-known ones, to be featured in whatever mutant-centric project Marvel Studios could be developing, even if they aren’t the fully-formed X-Men of the comics as of yet.

If The Marvels is truly set to introduce more mutants, it will only add fuel to MCU X-Men casting speculation that is running rampant with San Diego Comic-Con 2022 taking place shortly after the Ms. Marvel mutant reveal. The Marvel Studios panel could now disclose some of the actors who will play the MCU’s mutants, as well as where certain characters could appear in the future. Given how Comic-Con could also be the place Marvel reveals more information about The Marvels, the Ms. Marvel mutant reveal has seemingly been timed to perfection with SDCC being the perfect place to announce X-Men character’s inclusion in the film. Despite Ms. Marvel being the least-watched show of the MCU’s Disney+ shows so far, it has included some huge revelations regarding the X-Men, that will now more than likely be further explored in 2023’s The Marvels, setting up an even bigger future for Kamala Khan and Phase 4 of the MCU.

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